Mechanical ladle

ABSTRACT

A ladle mounted on non-parallel linkage which is, in turn, carried by parallel linkage. Articulation of the parallel linkage provides translatory movement for the ladle between a loading and unloading station and the ladle is tipped for filling and emptying by articulation of the non-parallel linkage. Power units separately operate to articulate the respective linkages.

1451 Mar.21,1972

United States Patent OBrien Rengert 1 MECHANICAL LADLE Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-John Mannix Attorney-Don M. Bradley [22] Filed:

ABSTRACT [2]] Appl. No.:

A ladle mounted on non-parallel llinkag ....214/149,2l4/DIG. l0 ried by parallel linkage. Articulation of the 3/42 provides translatory movement for the ladle b .....2l4/140, 149, DIG. 10; v and unloading station and the ladle is n 164/336, 335, 155, 136; 222/356, 357 mptying y artic l i n f h non-par units separately operate to articulate the respective Int Cl Field oiSearch.....................

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References Cited 10 Claims, 18 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,398,182 wens.-.-attie-" 1::15592153-,

PATENTEUMARZI 1972 SHEET 1 OF 5 INVENTOR. JOHN W. O'BRIEN BY Z ATTORNEY PATENTEDMARM I972 sum 2 0; 5

mvsmoa JOHN W. O'BRIEN ATTORNEY PATENTED MAR 21 I972 SHEET 3 UP 5 INVENTOR. JOHN W. 'O'BR l EN ATTORNEY PATENTEDMARZI I972 3,650,423

' SHEEI u or 5 ,S INVENTOR.

5 JOHN W. O'BRIEN ATTORNEY PATENTEDMARZI I972 SHEET 5 BF 5 John: W. O BriEN AHQRNE This invention relates to material handling machinery, and

more particularly, to a ladle operable from a remote control to transfer material from one point to another.

Measured amounts of molten metal are conventionally ladled into the shot sleeve" during die casting operations. This molten metal is injected at high speed and pressure into the die by means of a tight-fitting piston movable in the shot sleeve. The metal freezes relatively quickly and no part of the casting mechanism is in contact with the molten metal for very long. This is important especially due to the corrosive nature of some molten metals.

Hand ladling of the material is quite slow and several mechanical ladlers have been attempted. The prior mechanical ladlers have not been entirely satisfactory because of a variety of disadvantages. These include long delivery tubes or launders requiring excessive metal temperatures to avoid freezing of the metal in the tubes on the way to the shot sleeve, requirements for specially constructed ladles, and require ments for special devices to minimize deterioration of the operating mechanisms from the heat of the molten metal.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical ladle operable to generally simulate hand lading operations and which avoids the foregoing disadvantages ordinarily encountered with mechanical ladies. Other objects of the present invention include the utilization of readily changeable, commercially available ladles, durability and relative economy of construction of the machine, provision for automatic control of the quantity of material dipped by the ladle and construction to permit operation in relatively close quarters. These and other objects of the invention will be further explained or will become apparent from the specification, claims and drawings.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of a machine embodying the principles of this invention, the molten metal vat and die cast machine shot sleeve being shown in cross section, and an alternate position of the ladle appearing in dash lines;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged perspective view of the ladle clamp;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevational view of the ladle clamp and nonparallel arms showing the side of the clamp not shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged, side elevational view of one of the parallel arms showing the tipping cam and its follower;

FIGS. 6-10 are diagrammatic views illustrating relative positions of the machine components in ladling material from a furnace to a shot sleeve;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of the invention illustrating a rotary actuator for articulating a member of the machine;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary, top plan view of themachine of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention, the furnace and shot sleeve appearing fragmentatily, and alternate positions of components of the machine being shown in dash lines;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the machine of FIG. 14, certain components having been omitted for clarity;

FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing still another modified form of the mechanical ladle;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged, fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the machine of FIG. 16 showing one position for the cam arms; and

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 17 but showing a different position for the cam arms.

A mechanism for transferring liquid such as molten metal or the like from a source to a receiver is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and is broadly referenced by the numeral 20. Machine 20 comprises a stationary frame 22 having a horizontally extending base plate 24, an upwardly extending flange 26 and a portion 28 integral with flange 26 and projecting upwardly and in longitudinal extension thereof as illustrated best in FIG. 2.

Frame 22 is adapted for mounting in a fixed location as, for example, proximal the vat 30 of a furnace 32. The level of molten metal in vat 30 is designated schematically by the broken line 34.

A movable support 36 in the form of an irregularly shaped plate 38 is movably secured to frame 22 by parallel linkage comprising a pair of parallel members 40 and 42 respectively. As illustrated best in FIG. 2, one end of each member is pivotally secured to frame 22 at pivot points 44 and 46 respectively. The end of member 40 opposite its pivot point 44 is pivotally coupled to support plate 38 at pivot point 48 (FIG. 2) and the corresponding end of member 42 is coupled to plate 38 at point 50 (FIG. 1). The connectors which pivotally couple the members 40 and 42 to frame 22 and support 36 respectively all comprise cylindrical shafts extending in mutual parallelism so thatthe members 40 and 42 swing in a common plane about frame 22.

The parallel linkage between support 36 and frame 22 permits articulation of the support relative to the frame yet insures that the support maintains a predetermined oriented position with respect to the frame. Means for articulating the support comprises a fluid piston and cylinder assembly 52 pivotally coupled at one end to the frame by means of a laterally projecting stud 54. The piston rod of assembly 52 is pivotally coupled to a projecting stud 56 secured to member 40 intermediate the ends of the latter so that extension of the piston rod of assembly 52 swings member 40 in a counterclockwise direction about pivot point 44 as viewed in FIG. 1. Manifestly, the nature of the parallel linkage causes corresponding swinging of member 42 when member 40 is swung and this moves support 36. Assembly 52 is of a type to permit a positive actuation in either direction under the control of an operator for the machine.

A pair of arms 58 and 60 are each pivotally coupled to the side of plate 38 remote from members 40 and 42. The other ends of the respective arms 58 and 60 are pivotally coupled to a plate 62 forming a part of a ladle clamp broadly designated 64 and which will be more fully described hereinafter.

In distinct contrast to the parallel relationship of members 40 and 42, arms 58 and 60 are not parallel. While arms 58 and 60 may or may not be of equal length depending upon the range of movement desired in operation of the machine, it is important that these arms be mounted to the components to which they are pivotally coupled in a nonparallel arrangement. The purpose for this nonparallel linkage will be further described hereinafter.

A shaft 66 rigidly mounted to arm 60 extends through plate 38 and a tubular spacer 68 carried thereby. Shaft 66 is, in turn, mounted to a crank plate 70. Plate 70 has a projecting stud 72 I which is pivotally engaged with the piston rod 74 of a fluid piston and cylinder assembly 76. The other end of assembly 76 is pivotally mounted to plate 38 by means of a laterally projecting stud 78 integral with plate 38. Stud 72 is spaced radially from shaft 66 so that extension or retraction of rod 74 rotates crank plate 70 about shaft 66. This, in turn, swings arm 60 about the shaft.

It will be recognized that swinging of .arm 60 causes a resulting tilting movement to plate 62 of clamp 64 by virtue of the nonparallel relationship of arms 58 and 60 which link plate 62 to support 36.

The ladies for use with machine 20 are broadly designated 80 and comprise a frustoconical dipper :82 having an upwardly extending handle 84. Ladies 80 are of the type which are readily available commercially and which are commonly used in hand ladling operations.

The upwardly extending handle 84 is rigidly clamped between plate 62 and a slotted retainer 86 releasably secured to plate 62 by thumb screws 88. Obviously, ladles 80 may be easily removed and replaced by virtue of the clamp attachment to plate 62. In operation, assembly 52 is energized to move the parallel members 40 and 42 to the positions generally illustrated in full lines in FIG. 1. Assembly 76 is operated to dispose the nonparallel arms 58 and 60 in the positions shown. A roller 90 carried by an extension 92 of plate 70 is adapted to engage a cam 94 formed on arm 42 to insure that arms 58 and 60 assume positions which tip ladle 80 slightly when arms 40 and 42 are in the positions shown in FIG. 1. It will be understood that arms 40 and 42 are swung to submerge the dipper 82 beneath the surface of molten metal in vat 30. As the arms 40 and 42 are swung upwardly about pivot points 44 and 46 by assembly 52, roller 90 follows along cam surface 94 and rotates shaft 66 to tip the ladle slightly as it is raised from the surface of the liquid. This tipping action insures that the level of molten material in the ladle is not so great that there is an opportunity for spillage as the ladle is swung from the vat to a receiver in the nature of a shot sleeve 96 for a die casting machine or the like.

Manifestly, when the ladle is in a position over the opening 98 of shot sleeve 96, assembly 76 is again operated to tip the ladle to discharge the contents through the opening.

A more comprehensive understanding of the operation of machine can best be illustrated in diagrams 6-10 which show schematically the movement of some of the components through the ladling operation. Many of the components of machine 10 are omitted to simplify the graphic illustration of the sequence of movements.

The parallel members 40 and 42 swing the movable support 36 about the fixed frame 22 to dispose the ladle down into a furnace vat 30. When the ladle is filled, the members 40 and 42 are caused to swing upwardly thereby moving support 36. The relative orientation of support 36 with respect to frame 22 remains the same because of the parallel linkage connection.

The unaltered orientation of support 36 during translatory movement of the ladle permits the latter to be positioned through manipulation of the nonparallel arms 58 and 60 so that the material is not spilled from the ladle.

When the ladle overlies the shot sleeve as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 6, the arms 58 and 60 are again manipulated to swing about support 36. This swinging movement automatically twists or rotates the ladle mounting clamp to tip the ladle. The position for discharging all of the material from the ladle is shown in FIG. 10.

The positional relationships between the arms 58 and 60 require that a relatively large range of movement be permitted. For this reason, a portion of the extreme end of arm 60 is cut away as at 100 (FIG. 4) to permit the articulation between the members to the angles illustrated.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, the machine 120 comprises an alternate embodiment which may be substantially similar to machine 20 with the exception that the stationary frame 122 has a bracket 124 upon which is mounted a fluid operated rotary actuator 152 which replaces assembly 52 for swinging the parallel linkage with respect to the frame. Fluid for operating actuator 152 enters and egresses through ports (not shown). Torque for operating the linkage is obtained from a shaft 157 rigidly secured to a linkage member 140.

The other end of shaft 157 may be provided with a readily extending arm 123 carrying a roller 125 adapted to engage the plunger 127 ofa cushioning device 129 mounted on plate 155 by means of a threaded mounting portion 153. Device 129 gently stops the movement of the parallel linkage members upon a predetermined amount of rotation of shaft 157 of actuator 152.

The rotary actuator mechanism is illustrated to show that alternate forms of operating mechanism may be used with the machine of this construction. Further, the rotary actuator can be particularly useful in constructions of the ladle where space is severely limited.

Referring now to FIGS. 13, 14 and 15, a mechanism 220 comprises a fixed frame 222, a movable support 236 and interconnecting parallel linkage 241. In this case, however, the

parallel arms 240 and 242 are pivotally connected to a bracket 243 which is, in turn, mounted to frame 222 for rotation about a vertical axis defined by a vertically extending hinge pin 245. The raising and lowering of support 236 is effected by a fluid piston and cylinder assembly 252 which has a piston rod 253 pivotally coupled to arm 242 by pin 255. The other end of assembly 252 is pivotally coupled to a laterally projecting stud 256 carried by a bracket 257 mounted to frame 222 for swinging about a vertically extending pin 259 which is aligned with pin 245. An elongated compression spring 261 is pivotally coupled to the upper most parallel member 241 and to bracket 243 in a manner for resisting downward movement of the parallel members 240 and 242. To this end, the lowermost end of spring 261 is pivotally coupled to bracket 243 although this construction has been omitted from the construction shown in FIG. 15 for clarity. The outer ends of members 240 and 242 carry a bracket 263 upon which is pivotally mounted the movable support 236 by means of laterally extending ears 265 which are rigidly carried by the vertically extending plate 238 of support 236.

Vertically extending pin means 267 interconnect the movable support 236 to bracket 263 carried by the parallel linkage for relative articulation about a vertical axis. A projection 269 forming a part of frame 222 extends generally toward support 236 and terminates in a bracket 271 which is swingable about a vertically extending axis. A similar bracket 273 is coupled to a projection 275 rigidly carried by plate 238 as shown in FIG. 14. An elongated rigid arm 277 is pivotally coupled at either end to the respective brackets 271 and 273, the axes of coupling of rod 277 to the brackets being at right angles to the vertical axes of coupling of the brackets 271 and 273 to projections 269 and 275 respectively.

A fluid piston and cylinder assembly 276 is coupled to plate 238 and to a crank 270. The latter is fixed to a shaft 266 extending through plate 238 and attached to a corresponding one ofa pair of arms 258 and 260 respectively. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that arms 258 and 260, extending in nonparallel relationship, to attachment to the ladle clamp 264 of machine 220, operate similarly to the nonparallel linkage described with respect to machine 20. It should be pointed out, however, that an arcuate cam member 294 carried by bracket 263 is disposed to be engaged by a roller 290 carried by crank 270. It will be hereinafter pointed out how cam 294 and roller 290 serve to effect the tipping operation to obviate overloading of the ladle during operation of the machine.

A fluid piston and cylinder assembly 279 is pivotally mounted on projection 269 and has its movable piston rod also pivotally connected to the bracket 243 as shown in FIG. 14. Consequently, operation of assembly 279 to extend or retract the piston rod causes the parallel linkage and associated structure to swing about the vertical axis defined by pins 245 and 259. Arm 277 maintains a fixed distance between projections 269 and 275 of frame 222 and support 236 respectively. This causes swinging of support 236 about axis 267 with respect to the parallel linkage when the latter is swung about the vertical axis defined by pins 245 and 259. Consequently, as the components are moved to the dash line positions illustrated in FIG. 14, the support 236 is folded back upon the remaining components as the ladle is brought over the furnace vat 230. The components are unfolded again as the ladle is brought over the opening 298 in the shot sleeve 296.

Operation of machine 220 is quite similar to that of machine 20 and need not be described in great detail. It should suffice to say that assembly 252 may be manipulated by the operator to raise and lower the parallel linkage for moving the support 236 into and out of the desired positions with respect to the vat and the shot sleeve respectively. Assembly 279 permits movement of the support in a direction not possible with machine 20. Accordingly, the ladle carried by support 236 swings around the vertical axis defined by the pins which fasten the components to frame 222. The relative articulation between the support and the parallel linkage about the vertical axis defined by pin 267 insures the folding of the major components to minimize space required by the apparatus during its operation. Further, and very importantly, this folding action prevents the components such as assembly 276 from assuming positions overlying the furnace vat. This obviates the necessity for specially constructed and expensive sealing devices to prevent deleterious effects from the excessive temperatures on the components.

The cam 294 operates in conjunction with roller 290 to impart limited rocking movement to shaft 266 for tipping the ladle as it is withdrawn from the vat. This tipping action results from the relative articulation between support 236 and the parallel linkage upon swinging of the mechanism by assembly 279.

Referring now to the modification illustrated in FIGS. 16-18, the mechanism is designated by the reference numeral 32 and is similar to mechanism with the exception of the shape of the parallel arm members 340 and 342. Each of these arms is provided with its own cam surface and certain modifications are made in other components to permit utilization of each cam Cam 394 is similar to cam 94 and operates in conjunction with the roller 390 to swing plate 370 in a manner similar to that described with respect to crank 90 and roller 70 of mechanism 20. While the shapes of corresponding parts have been varied somewhat, those skilled in the art will readily understand the operation and function of these parts and this description will not be burdened by repeating the operation here. It suffices to say that cam 394 serves to insure that the ladle is not overfilled and thereby prevents spillage of the molten material as it is transferred to the shot sleeve.

Mechanism 320 includes an additional cam 395 carried by arm 340 and disposed to engage roller 390 when the components are in the positions generally as illustrated in FIG. 18. These are the positions of the components when the ladle is in its unloading, full tilt position over the shot sleeve. Cam 395 causes plate 370 and shaft 366 to swing in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 18 as the ladle is moved toward the vat. This swings the ladle out of the full tilt position and holds it in a more nearly vertical position during movement from the shot sleeve to the vat. Thus, the cam prevents inadvertent dripping of the molten metal from the ladle while it is returned to the vat.

In the interest of simplicity, not all of the components of mechanism 320 need be described. It will be understood that the remaining components function similarly to the corresponding components described with reference to mechanism 20.

It will be recognized by machines skilled in this art that many of a variety of modifications might be made in the construction of ladling machines embodying the principles of this invention without departing from those principles. For example, alternate construction and modification of the locations of the pivot points for the articulating members could produce either greater or lesser folding action of the movable support with respect to the remaining components. It is contemplated that the construction chosen should be that calculated to accomplish the desired movement of the ladle back and forth from the supply to the receiver consistent with the space provided for such movement at the installation.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Ladle mechanism for transferring liquid from a source to a receiver, said mechanism comprising:

a frame; a movable support; a ladle; means mounting the ladle to the support for tipping movement of the ladle relative to the support at the source and receiver respectively, said means including a pair of spaced apart, nonparallel arms, each arm being pivotally secured to the support and ladle respectively; means mounting the support to the frame for translatory movement of the support to move the ladle between the source and the receiver; and power means for each of said mounting means and operably coupled therewith for independently effecting said tipping and translatory movements respectively, the power means for effecting said tipping movement being operably coupled with one of said arms for selectively swinging the ladle to and from said tipped position.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the means mounting the support to the frame includes a pair of spaced apart, paral lel members, each member being pivotally secured to the support and frame respectively, the power means for effecting said translatory movements being operably coupled with one of the members for swinging movement thereof about the frame to effect movement of the support relative to the frame without movement of the ladle relative to the support.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein is included cam and follower means on one of said members and one of said arms' respectively, said cam being disposed to be engaged by the follower throughout a portion of said translatory movement, the cam being configured to move said! arm to effect limited tipping of the ladle during said portion of the translatory movement.

4. The invention of claim 3, wherein is provided a cam for each member respectively, each cam being carried by its corresponding member, and wherein the cam for said one member is disposed to engage the follower for limited tipping of the ladle during movement of the ladle from the vat toward the receiver and the cam for the other member is disposed to engage the follower for swinging of the ladle away from its full tipped position during movement of the ladle from the receiver toward said source.

5. The invention of claim -I, wherein said means mounting the support to the frame includes means to permit swinging movement of the support with respect to the frame in a pair of different directions.

6. Ladle mechanism for transferring liquid from a source to a receiver, said mechanism comprising:

a frame;

a movable support;

parallel linkage pivotally connecting the support to the frame for swinging of the latter along a path of travel between the source and the receiver while maintaining a fixed orientation of the support with respect to the frame about one axis;

a ladle;

nonparallel linkage swingably connecting the ladle with the support to cause tipping of the ladle when said nonparallel linkage is swung relative to the support; means operably coupled with the parallel linkage for selec tively swinging the support along said path of travel; and

means operably coupled with the nonparallel linkage for selectively swinging the latter to effect tipping of the ladle at the source and receiver respectively.

7. The invention of claim 6, wherein said parallel linkage includes a pair of spaced apart members of equal length, each member being pivotally coupled to the support for swinging about a horizontal axis and to the frame for swinging about horizontal and vertical axes.

8. The invention of claim 7, wherein each of said members is pivotally coupled to the support for swinging about both horizontal and vertical axes.

9. The invention of claim 8, wherein is included tie means pivotally coupled to the support and to the frame respectively to control the spacing between the support and the frame during said translatory movement.

10. The invention of claim 6, wherein said ladle includes a reasonable clamp pivotally coupled to :said nonparallel linkage, a vessel, and an elongated, upright, rigid standard secured to the vessel and adapted to be releasably received in the clamp to permit ready replacement of the vessel. 

1. Ladle mechanism for transferring liquid from a source to a receiver, said mechanism comprising: a frame; a movable support; a ladle; means mounting the ladle to the support for tipping movement of the ladle relative to the support at the source and receiver respectively, said means including a pair of spaced apart, nonparallel arms, each arm being pivotally secured to the support and ladle respectively; means mounting the support to the frame for translatory movement of the support to move the ladle between the source and the receiver; and power means for each of said mounting means and operably coupled therewith for independently effecting said tipping and translatory movements respectively, the power means for effecting said tipping movement being operably coupled with one of said arms for selectively swinging the ladle to and from said tipped position.
 2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the means mounting the support to the frame includes a pair of spaced apart, parallel members, each member being pivotally secured to the support and frame respectively, the power means for effecting said translatory movements being operably coupled with one of the members for swinging movement thereof about the frame to effect movement of the support relative to the frame without movement of the ladle relative to the support.
 3. The invention of claim 2, wherein is included cam and follower means on one of said members and one of said arms respectively, said cam being disposed to be engaged by the follower throughout a portion of said translatory movement, the cam being configured to move said arm to effect limited tipping of the ladle during said portion of the translatory movement.
 4. The invention of claim 3, wherein is provided a cam for each member respectively, each cam being carried by its corresponding member, and wherein the cam for said one member is disposed to engage the follower for limited tipping of the ladle during movement of the ladle from the vat toward the receiver and the cam for the other member is disposed to engage the follower for swinging of the ladle away from its full tipped position during movement of the ladle from the receiver toward said source.
 5. The invention of claim 1, wherein said means mounting the support to the frame includes means to permit swinging movement of the support with respect to the frame in a pair of different directions.
 6. Ladle mechanism for transferring liquid from a source to a receiver, said mechanism comprising: a frame; a movable support; parallel linkage pivotally connecting the support to the frame for swinging of the latter along a path of travel between the source and the receiver while maintaining a fixed orientation of the support with respect to the frame about one axis; a ladle; nonparallel linkage swingably connecting the ladle with the support to cause tipping of the ladle when said nonparallel linkage is swung relative to the support; means operably coupled with the parallel linkage for selectively swinging the support along said path of travel; and means operably coupled With the nonparallel linkage for selectively swinging the latter to effect tipping of the ladle at the source and receiver respectively.
 7. The invention of claim 6, wherein said parallel linkage includes a pair of spaced apart members of equal length, each member being pivotally coupled to the support for swinging about a horizontal axis and to the frame for swinging about horizontal and vertical axes.
 8. The invention of claim 7, wherein each of said members is pivotally coupled to the support for swinging about both horizontal and vertical axes.
 9. The invention of claim 8, wherein is included tie means pivotally coupled to the support and to the frame respectively to control the spacing between the support and the frame during said translatory movement.
 10. The invention of claim 6, wherein said ladle includes a reasonable clamp pivotally coupled to said nonparallel linkage, a vessel, and an elongated, upright, rigid standard secured to the vessel and adapted to be releasably received in the clamp to permit ready replacement of the vessel. 